Season 1982 All-star games 2 | Number of bowls 16 Conference Bowls | |
Bowl games December 17, 1982 –
January 1, 1983 Champions Penn State Nittany Lions | ||
The 1982–83 Bowl Season featured 16 games starting early in December and ending on January 1, 1983. The Aloha Bowl was introduced this year.
Contents
Independence Bowl
December 11, 1982 Shreveport, Louisiana
Independence Stadium
Wisconsin (Big 10) 14 Kansas State (Big 8) 3
Holiday Bowl
December 17, 1982 San Diego
Jack Murphy Stadium
At Large (): Ohio St. Buckeyes 47, WAC Champion: BYU Cougars 17
Tangerine Bowl
December 18, 1982 Orlando, Florida
Orlando Stadium Auburn Tigers (SEC) 33 v. Boston College Eagles (Ind) 26
California Bowl
December 18, 1982 Fresno, California
PCAA Champion: Fresno St. Bulldogs 29, MAC Champion: Bowling Green Falcons 28
Sun Bowl
December 25, 1982 El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl Stadium
North Carolina (ACC) 26, Texas (SWC) 10
Aloha Bowl
December 25, 1982 Honolulu, Hawaii
Aloha Stadium
Washington (Pac-10) 26, Maryland (ACC) 20
Liberty Bowl
December 29, 1982: Alabama 21 (SEC) v. Illinois 15 (Big 10)
Gator Bowl
December 30, 1982 Jacksonville, Florida
Gator Bowl Stadium
Florida State (Independent) 26, West Virginia (Independent) 20
Hall of Fame Classic
Played in Birmingham, Alabama, this Hall of Fame Classic game (lasted from 1977 to 1985, then became the All-American Bowl for 5 more years) pitted the 8-4 Air Force Falcons against the 8-4 Vanderbilt Commodores on December 31, 1982. Down by 28-17, the Falcons struck for 19 points in final quarter to win 36-28. (source: Air Force Falcon Football Media Guide, 1996)
Bluebonnet Bowl
December 31, 1982 Houston, Texas
Astrodome
Arkansas (SWC) 28 Florida 24 (SEC)
Peach Bowl
December 31, 1982 Atlanta
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Iowa (Big 10) 28 Tennessee 22 (SEC)
Fiesta Bowl
January 1, 1983 Tempe, Arizona
Sun Devil Stadium
Arizona St. 32 (Pac 10) Oklahoma (Big-8) 21
Orange Bowl
January 1, 1983 Miami
Miami Orange Bowl
Big 8 Champion: Nebraska Cornhuskers 21, At Large (SEC #2 ) LSU Tigers 20
Most Valuable Players: Turner Gill and Dave Rimington
Sugar Bowl
January 1, 1983 New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome
At Large (Independent): Penn St. Nittany Lions 27, Georgia 23
After Penn State controlled the first half, Georgia attempted to muster a comeback in the second half. It looked like they might be successful, until Penn State completed a 47-yard play-action pass from Todd Blackledge to a diving Gregg Garrity for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Still, Georgia came back to score a touchdown of their own to get to within 4 points with 4 minutes remaining, but the Nittany Lions were able to run out the clock for the victory. The win earned Penn State its first national championship.
Scoring
Most Valuable Player: Todd Blackledge
Rose Bowl
January 1, 1983 Pasadena, California
Rose Bowl
Pac-10 Champion: UCLA Bruins 24, Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines 14
Most Outstanding Players: Tom Ramsey and Don Rogers
Cotton Bowl
January 1, 1983 Dallas
Cotton Bowl
SWC Champion: SMU Mustangs 7, At Large (Independent): Pitt Panthers 3
SMU had a pair of great runners in Eric Dickerson and Craig James, while Pitt had a great passer in Dan Marino. However, a mistake-ridden performance would kill all the expected offensive fireworks, with SMU giving away two fumbles and Dan Marino throwing an interception in the end zone in the final quarter. The victory earned undefeated SMU the number two spot in the polls.
Most Outstanding Players: Lance McIllhenny and Wes Hopkins